In Pace Christi

“Fr. Giocondo was a man of the Word – writes Fr. Jeremias dos Santos Martins – and made the Word the centre of his life. He lived through intense years of mission in Mozambique where he died after almost 50 years of work in that country. He experienced both the sufferings of war and times of peace, always close to the people, very much a part of the scene”.

The son of Angelo and Milena Mantiero, Bro. Giocondo was born on 8 August 1939 (though the registry indicates the next day) and was baptised two days later. He came from a family of eight children of whom one sister, Flavia, became a religious, while four became Comboni Missionaries: besides Giocondo, his sister Celina and the twin brothers Rinaldo and Sergio (who died in Mexico in 2013) became members of Comboni Institutes.

In October 1950, Giocondo entered the Comboni minor seminary in Padua where he attended middle school. In 1953, he moved to Brescia for secondary school studies and entered the Florence novitiate in 1955. On 7 December 1956, he was asked to continue the novitiate in Portugal where, on 9 September 1957, he made his first religious profession. In 1958, he returned to Verona for high school studies and in 1959 he went to Rome to study philosophy. It was there that he showed the first symptoms of a lung disease that forced him to spend five years in Arco (Trent) for hospital treatment. He made his perpetual profession there on 9 September 1963. His health had now improved and in 1965 he returned to Verona to study theology but in 1966 had to go back to Arco for further treatment. In 1968 he went to Venegono Superiore (Varese) to study theology and on 14 July of the same year he was ordained priest in his home parish of Novoledo, by the Bishop of Vicenza, Mons. Carlo Zinato.

From 1969 to 1971, he stayed in Rebbio (Como), assisting in formation at the minor seminary and, in 1972, went back to Portugal to wait for his entry visa for Mozambique, then a Portuguese colony.

In May of that year, he went to the diocese of Nampula where he worked in catechesis and ministry at the missions of Mueria, Cabaceira, Namahaca, Lurio and Carapira.

Fr. Giocondo was “almost a martyr”, his sister Flavia writes, “since he was seriously wounded in 1983. One evening, just when he had finished Mass, some thieves entered the chapel; one of them shot Fr. Giocondo through the neck and he fell to the floor in a pool of blood. The thieves then plundered the mission and one of them came back to the chapel and took the watch from Fr. Giocondo’s wrist as well as his sandals, believing him to be dead. He pulled a face at him and went away. Giocondo was not dead, just pretending”.

After receiving first aid from a confrere, Bro. Silvano Bergamini, today resident in the Padua community, Fr. Giocondo “remained paralysed for almost a month. Then he began to move his fingers and gradually his power of movement returned and he was able to walk, write and work. Fortunately, the bullet had not injured his spinal cord”.

A year later, he was back in Africa and, in 1988, was transferred to the diocese of Beira where he dedicated himself to pastoral work in the parishes of Buzi and Alto de Manga. He was also charged with translating the Bible into the local language, Cindau, which he did over a period of five years. Besides speaking Portuguese very well, he also spoke two local languages, Cindau and Makua.

From 1999 to 2002, Fr. Giocondo worked in ministry in Beira, at the Centre for Missionary Animation. In 2008, he went to Rome for the renewal Course and returned to Mozambique the following year.

“He spent his last years at the postulancy – we read in the testimony of Fr. Jeremias – as spiritual director. His simplicity of life, his apostolic zeal and his spirit of prayer and service were an example for the new generations of Comboni Missionaries.

He wanted to stay in Mozambique despite his poor health. The missionaries and the inhabitants of Nampula, in the north of the country, where he had his first missionary experience, as well as those of Beira, in the centre of the country, remember him always as ‘an original missionary’. He had a sharp, creative and perspicacious mind. He had the advantage of a good sense of humour which made his odd ways likeable, not to mention his rather careless way of dressing and his deportment. He knew what to do in difficult situations, thanks to his creativity and ingenuity. If Saint Peter happened to be in a bad mood the day Fr. Giocondo arrived, he would have found a way in without St. Peter knowing!”

He died at Matola on 9 March 2021 due to the Covid-19. On Thursday 11 March, his funeral was celebrated at Michafutene cemetery. In his memory, Mass was celebrated on Tuesday 19 March, at the church of Novoledo.